CUMBRIA TAKE POSITIVES DESPITE HEAVY SETBACK

Following last season's hat trick of defeats, Cumbria began this year's County Championship with a new look and fresh optimism.

However, it seems as though Twickenham will have to wait at least another year as Northumberland produced a clinical performance to run in 11 tries in a comprehensive 67 - 5 victory in Alnwick.

With seven players making their debut for Cumbria - Michelle Larkin, Tamar Benson, Hannah Wilkinson, Beth Shaw, Vicki Nelmes, Hannah Farrell and Claire Pooley – it was important for the team to gel as quickly as possible, but it was Northumberland who opened the floodgates after barely 3 minutes when they seized upon a clumsy fumble from the visitors near the tryline and punishment duly followed. However, their conversion attempt was excellently blocked by the determined Bethan Lloyd.

Cumbria tried to regain advantage from the restart, with Phillipa Chadwick and captain Hannah Sherlock providing creative play, while wingers Hannah Farrell and Hayley Hodgson both delivered menacing surges, but they could not find a way through the hosts' cast-iron defensive rearguard.

Northumberland gradually stepped up a gear and proceeded to increase their lead by consistently slicing through the stunned and bewildered Cumbrian defence with three further tries in seven minutes. It is of small consolation to Cumbria that only the third of these tries was converted.

Other teams would have given up by this stage - but not Cumbria and to their credit, they regained their composure and again tested their opponent's resolve with well crafted inroads into Northumberland territory, with Chadwick, Sherlock, Charlotte Bowman, Samara Tomlinson and Kim Fitzmaurice more often than not in the thick of the action.

But when a genuine scoring chance went begging on 21 minutes it was the hosts who mercilessly seized the initiative by storming upfield to score another unconverted try and just to rub salt into the visitors' wound, they went 34 - 0 up four minutes later with a brilliant solo try from halfway, which this time round was converted.

Once again, Cumbria refused to lie down, despite any hope of victory having long been shattered, and on 29 minutes, brilliant movement from Bowman resulted in her offloading the ball to Fitzmaurice, who shrugged off a last ditch challenge to throw herself into the corner for a well taken try.

This clearly galvanised Cumbria and for the rest of the first half they used this confidence to provide new found resilience as they managed to frustrate Northumberland and indeed, this containment policy served them well for the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

Ultimately though, the resistance buckled under intense pressure from the hosts with another two tries in four minutes, both of which were converted, and with the score now 48 - 5 with 25 minutes to go, there was danger of total capitulation.

But Cumbria again recovered their focus and were able to apply pressure of their own, with Bowman effortlessly displaying her flexibility at loosehead - despite playing at number eight all season for Workington - while fellow Finches Hannah Thornbury and Claire Pooley came off the bench to give the forwards extra strength and efficiency.

However, they were unable to turn this domination into tries as they twice fell agonisingly short of reaching double figures and the momentum began to slip away as frustration gave way to tiredness and Northumberland wasted no time in spotting this as they finished the match as they began with a three tries in the closing five minutes, two of which were converted.

Despite the heavy loss, Cumbria can take positives from the game with the seven aforementioned debutants each giving assured performances and the team as a whole managing to provide sustained periods of containment whilst creating several attacking opportunities for themselves.

These foundations can hopefully be built further upon when Cumbria host Yorkshire next Sunday at Aspatria's Bower Park kick off 2.30pm